"Ænema" is a song by

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

band

Tool A tool is an object that can extend an individual's ability to modify features of the surrounding environment or help them accomplish a particular task. Although many animals use simple tools, only human beings, whose use of stone tools dates ba ...

, released as the third single from their second major-label release '' Ænima''. Adam Jones made a video for the song using

stop-motion animation Stop motion is an animated filmmaking technique in which objects are physically manipulated in small increments between individually photographed frames so that they will appear to exhibit independent motion or change when the series of frames i ...

; it is included in the '' Salival'' box set. The song reached number twenty-five on the US

Mainstream Rock Tracks Mainstream Rock is a music chart in ''Billboard'' magazine that ranks the most-played songs on mainstream rock radio stations in the United States, a category that combines the formats of active rock and heritage rock. The chart was launched in Ma ...

chart in August 1997. The song makes extensive use of hemiola, a musical technique in which the emphasis in a triple meter is changed to give the illusion that both a duple and a triple meter occur in the song. The song is cast in terminally climactic form, in which two verse/chorus pairs give way to a climactic ending on new material.

Lyrical references

Keenan incorporates into the lyrics part of comedian Bill Hicks' sketch "Goodbye You Lizard Scum" from his album ''

Arizona Bay ''Arizona Bay'' is an album by American stand-up comedian and satirist Bill Hicks, posthumously released in 1997. Both this album and a similar album of new material, '' Rant in E-Minor'', were released posthumously by Rykodisc on February 25, 1 ...

'' by stating the line "learn to swim, see you down in Arizona Bay." Hicks appears in the liner notes/sleeve as a doctor, and a

lenticular Lenticular is an adjective often relating to lenses. It may refer to: * A term used with two meanings in botany: see * Lenticular cloud, a lens-shaped cloud * Lenticular galaxy, a lens-shaped galaxy * Lenticular (geology), adjective describing a ...

image below the case tray illustrates a large portion of

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

disappearing leaving only the

Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...

, as is mentioned in the song. California falling into the sea is a prediction made by

Edgar Cayce Edgar Cayce (; 18 March 1877 – 3 January 1945) was an American clairvoyant who claimed to channel his higher self while in a trance-like state. His words were recorded by his friend, Al Layne; his wife, Gertrude Evans, and later by his s ...

, also known as "The Sleeping Prophet," about the

end of days End of days may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''End of Days'' (film), a 1999 supernatural film Music * ''The End of Days'', a 2010 album by Abney Park * ''End of Days'' (soundtrack), a soundtrack album from the 1999 film ...

in which California and New York are to sink into the ocean among a plethora of other devastating weather changes. In general, the song is a diatribe against celebrity culture, particularly around Los Angeles. This includes everything from the

Church of Scientology The Church of Scientology is a group of interconnected corporate entities and other organizations devoted to the practice, administration and dissemination of Scientology, which is variously defined as a cult, a scientology as a business, bu ...

(with the line "Fuck

L. Ron Hubbard Lafayette Ronald Hubbard (March 13, 1911 – January 24, 1986) was an American author, primarily of science fiction and fantasy stories, who is best known for having founded the Church of Scientology. In 1950, Hubbard authored '' Dianetic ...

and fuck all his clones"), to possibly rappers ("gun-toting hip gangster wannabes"), to drug addicts, Hollywood executives and actresses whom Maynard views as corrupted and wishes would all be flushed down the proverbial toilet and/or possibly subsumed by the Jungian Anima referenced in the album title ("Mom please flush it all away"). Ultimately, the song calls for a kind of transformation, not a final misanthropic destruction.

Music video

Adam Jones directed the video for "Ænema" which features

stop-motion Stop motion is an animated filmmaking technique in which objects are physically manipulated in small increments between individually photographed frames so that they will appear to exhibit independent motion or change when the series of frames i ...

animation with art design by

Cam de Leon Cam de Leon (born 1961 in Modesto, California) is an American artist who specializes in surreal, dark imagery. He is best known for creating the artwork for Tool's 1991 demo EP ''72826'', the EP ''Opiate'' and the ''Ænima'' album, as well as worki ...

. The video revolves around a humanoid figure with alien-like features. Throughout the video the character ventures through an aquatic room. A hose-like organ (resembling an umbilical cord) which squirts out water protrudes from its abdomen and fills the room in which the figure stands. At one point the figure starts to dress itself as images of embryos are shown briefly. Towards the end of the video a human character wearing a business suit tosses a water-filled box in which the figure is contained.

Track listing

Awards

Tool received the Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance for "Ænema", at the

40th Grammy Awards The 40th Annual Grammy Awards were held on February 25, 1998, at Radio City Music Hall, New York City. They recognized accomplishments by musicians from the previous year. Rock icon Bob Dylan, Alison Krauss & Union Station, and R. Kelly were the ...

in 1998.

Charts

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Aenema Animated music videos 1996 songs 1997 singles Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance Songs about California Songs about Los Angeles Songs critical of religion Songs written by Maynard James Keenan Songs written by Danny Carey Songs written by Paul D'Amour Songs written by Adam Jones (musician) Stop-motion animated music videos Tool (band) songs Zoo Entertainment (record label) singles